Introduction to Psychometrics and Assessment

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and their definitions from the lecture on psychometrics and assessment.

Test

A procedure for obtaining a sample of behavior used to infer a person’s status on a construct.

Construct

A theoretical entity (e.g., intelligence, anxiety) hypothesized to account for behaviors; they are 'latent' because they cannot be measured directly.

Operational Definition

A measure assumed to have the properties of a specific level of measurement, implied by operationalism.

Psychometrics

The field of measurement or test theory, focusing on methods for measuring constructs and their associated problems.

Measurement Error

Errors that are inherent in social science measurement, making measures approximations rather than perfect.

Contamination

Factors that interfere with the measurement of a construct, such as test anxiety or socially desirable responding.

Nominal Level of Measurement

Uses numbers as labels to distinguish categories, such as coding 1 for male and 2 for female.

Ordinal Level of Measurement

Represents a rank order where intervals between points are not equal, like finishing positions in a race.

Interval Level of Measurement

Includes distinctiveness, order, and equal intervals between scale points, such as Fahrenheit temperature.

Ratio Level of Measurement

The highest measurement level, which includes all previous properties and has a true zero point.

Norm Referencing

Comparing an individual's score to a norm group.

Criterion Referencing

Relating scores to predetermined absolute criteria.

Standardized Scores

Scores like z-scores and T-scores that use the norm group's standard deviation to express distance from the mean.

Developmental-Level Scores

Scores referencing performance to others at a similar developmental stage, like grade-equivalent scores.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

A hierarchy of cognitive levels used in test blueprints, including Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation.

Speed Test

A test with easy items but a short time limit, focusing on response speed.

Power Test

A test that includes difficult items where respondents have as much time as needed to complete.

Maximal Performance

Cognitive tests that measure the best effort of an individual.

Typical Performance

Non-cognitive measures that assess how someone typically feels or behaves.

Scaling Methods

Techniques like Thurstone, Likert, and Guttman used for measuring attitudes or preferences.

Acquiescence

The tendency to agree or disagree regardless of content, also known as yea-saying or nay-saying.

Malingering

The act of exaggerating symptoms to appear more pathological.

Reliability

The dependability or consistency of scores across different conditions.

Standard Error of Measurement (SEM)

An estimate of the average amount of error in an individual score, used to create confidence intervals.

Coefficient Alpha (α)

A measure of internal consistency based on item intercorrelations, indicating how well items correlate.